


Onward to a New Chapter

by Urby



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/M, Family, Invisible Kingdom | Revelation Route, Not Beta Read, Oviposition, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-03-17 16:02:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13662408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Urby/pseuds/Urby
Summary: "Azura had never been sat down by her mother to explain the finer points of becoming a Vallite woman..."In which Azura settles down with Corrin and starts a family of dragons.





	Onward to a New Chapter

**Author's Note:**

> It's my birthday today and I want to post this silly idea I had (it has already been done before, but this is my take on it) because I am feeling like posting something sweet and personally fulfilling. As a result it might be messier than my other works.
> 
> I sometimes think of Vallite people as selkies or mermaid types so they have weird biological differences. Fun thought experiments.

Azura had never been sat down by her mother to explain the finer points of becoming a Vallite woman. It was something she discovered in bits and pieces, slowly learning that there was a key difference between her development and that of the women around her.

About every month, the women around her would have subtle shifts in behaviors, sometimes becoming more withdrawn, sometimes more aggressive. They would mind their laundry more often than usual - something Azura remembered being something that became an issue when both Hinoka and Sakura reached their teens.

Azura's monthly was very simple and passed in a few hours. She would notice her lower body tensing, and when she had the opportunity, she would find a private place to remove her clothes and push out a pale, oval-shaped stone. They were rough, hard, cold things, not something she would consider alive or a part of her. They didn't break when dropped or thrown.

She usually skipped them across the first body of water she could find - they travelled far, and would usually manage a few bounces before slipping into the water.

* * *

Another difference: Azura had no interest in men. In human men.

She could understand what features were supposed to be attractive in a human being: strength, intelligence, and even some aspects of appearance. Still, she didn't feel anything - a mild appreciation for someone who was well-put together, perhaps, but nothing more. If she tried to imagine herself doing anything that she heard others gossip about, it would only turn her stomach.

A few suitors made some timid attempts at wooing her, but they all gave up when they realized how genuine her apathy was. She did not feel it as a loss.

When Azura met Corrin, her heart twinged in ways she hadn't expected: sympathy, concern...and something warm, something a little painful. She hesitated to call it love, because while she enjoyed his company, she was loath to imagine their bodies sharing a space, especially if that space was inside herself. And he was a young man, easily impressionable, far too easily impressed by the bawdy talk that drifted around campfires and drink. She knew he would be curious.

Then Corrin shifted into something elegant and beautiful and strange, roaring with rage and sorrow. And even as she drew power from her pendant and felt its terrible power gnawing at the water coursing in her veins, she felt her loins tremble at the sight of the dragon he had become.

She knew that she would be satisfied with nothing else, and cursed herself for it.

* * *

The war ended and Azura found herself still alive. That was a shock.

The second shock was that Corrin reciprocated her feelings. The two of them were wed, so that the throne of Valla was shared by someone who was clearly of Vallite descent. And for reasons of love, of course.

They loved each other, excited to explore each other's desires and intricacies. She might have had a hunger for his beastliness, but he had a taste for being tamed. It was something they quickly discovered worked for both of them.

He was her king, a mighty creature that she only needed to show mastery over to receive a love no human man could provide. She was his queen, whose patience could temper his bestial urges without choking them out. And outside the bedroom, they were Corrin and Azura, friends and co-rulers.

It was a good life.

* * *

The new Valla was flourishing, and there were many things to be happy about. Azura wasn't sure she was totally comfortable yet, but she also knew she was learning how to relax. Things could go well. There was no looming threat that she needed to sacrifice herself to keep at bay.

She felt good enough about herself - and about life - that on some days that she asked the servants if it was alright for her to make little meals for herself and her husband. After having lived such an important part of their lives out on the warfront, it was hard on their stomachs to eat like royalty again. So, it was good for both of them to have simple meals, like rice and eggs and whatever sprouted up in the garden: green beans, peas, spinach...

Azura was busy in the kitchen early one morning, hoping to surprise Corrin with breakfast in bed, when she caught herself staring at the eggshells she had left on the counter. She should have thrown them away into the bin...that was where eggshells went, after the egg was cracked. They went into the bin where they were ground up for compost. And yet, she couldn't shake the impression that they would be an interesting thing to eat. Why let it go to waste? Eggs were so nutritious, after all, and Valla tried hard to use every part of every animal, fish, and plant harvested in its borders.

Eggshells, she discovered, were best eaten after being mashed up a bit, because sharp edges cut at her tongue and teeth. That didn't deter her, though. They were a bit bland, but she could eat a few of them with a glass of water and feel much _better_ afterwards. These days she was feeling a little feeble, often spending most of her day wishing she was in bed, but after an eggshell or two she felt limber enough to tackle a few tasks.

* * *

Azura missed her monthly. It was supposed to be punctual. It had always been, even during the war. When she consulted a healer, it was not for confirmation, but rather for advice. She returned to her room with a few teas for morning sickness (something that had yet to manifest, though she was tired all the time) and a rough idea about what to expect these coming months.

Fourth month for movement. She wondered about that.

Corrin pounced her, tail wagging, when she revealed she was expecting. He covered her in kisses and murmured adoration into her hair.

"If you need anything, let me know right away! I'll get it for you and the little one!" he vowed.

Azura nuzzled him back, fingers under his ears and tickling at his hairline. "Right now, I need a supportive and warm friend. And maybe a more comfortable chair at my desk."

"I'll look into it," he said, curling around her. His purr was deep and draconic when she started stroking his scalp.

"...And I would like some eggshells."

He opened his eyes and looked at her for a long moment. "Eggshells? Anything special? I'm sure Camilla can wrestle up wyvern eggshells even..."

Had she said that aloud? Now she felt foolish. She turned towards her pillow. "Chicken eggshells are fine."

"Whole, or..."

"Crushed," she said. She felt him tipping his head at her. "...I eat them."

Azura chanced a glance back at him, and his expression was kind. His gaze drifted down to her belly and lingered there. "Eggs to make your egg strong!" he said slowly, as if figuring it out as he spoke the words.

The breath lodged in her throat. Egg? What...wait. The stone every month. It was...not a stone.

She rolled over, covering her face, and he had to hug and cuddle her and kiss her some more for her to uncurl. They remained tangled in each other that night, with Corrin lending his warmth and giving her gentle nuzzles every few minutes. Azura played with his hair and wondered how their mothers dealt with their eggs.

* * *

The next few weeks passed quickly. Azura wasn't showing in the same way Corrin had seen other women show their pregnancies - her belly was heavy and tight against her body. Not many would assume she was expecting when she wore royal garb.

He made sure that she never overworked herself, anticipating her needs and making minor adjustments to their space. More blankets, but thinner ones, so that she could bunch them up when he was away. A shorter distance between her desk and her favorite sunning spot. Carpeted flooring. Warm wings to cuddle her at night, to keep her close in the morning.

Corrin felt Azura moving beside him, gearing herself to get up. He rolled over and pinned her down to the bed with his half-awake weight.

"Corrin! I didn't know --"

"Stay," he murmured.

"I need to make breakfast for you," she said, wiggling under him.

"Breakfast can wait. It must be something like...five in the morning," he said, nuzzling the closest thing to his face. It got him a mouthful of hair. He opened his eyes while mouthing the hair out of his lips. It was the back of her neck.

Azura sighed. "Corrin, please."

"Stay," he repeated. He moved so he could properly spoon her. "Stay warm with me."

She didn't relax.

"Baby shouldn't catch cold," he said. "Floor will be cold."

"I have socks on."

Corrin gasped dramatically. "A crime. Vallite royalty must always go barefoot!"

He blew a raspberry against her neck, and finally she broke down, laughing gently and turning towards him.

"Love you," she murmured, her sleepiness bleeding back into her words.

"Love you!" he said, giving her a proper kiss on the lips. She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder.

"...I am craving eggshells and something with a bite," she said.

"Ah," he said, starting to gather blankets from the foot of the bed. She snuggled gratefully into them. "Would some wasabi do you good...?" She crinkled her nose immediately. "Ah...not spicy?"

"Lemon?" she ventured.

It would be a challenge to find a fresh lemon at this hour, in this season, but for his wife, he would do that, and crack a kingdom's worth of eggs, while he was at it. She hadn't mentioned it, but he knew he had done well when she almost leaped out of her nest to eat the strawberries he had brought, as well.

* * *

Azura laid the egg about half a year after she had her suspicions she was carrying it. Both she and Corrin were worried - it was the size of a cantaloupe, so small for a child! - but when they held the pale egg, they could feel the life coursing through it.

Neither of them wanted to keep it in their chambers buried under blankets, so they took turns holding it in a sling close to their bodies. It was a great curiosity for their visiting siblings, who liked to gloss their hands over the smooth surface. There were a few gentle jokes about how good Ryoma looked as a dragon nanny, but for the most part, their siblings were kind enough not to ask to hold the egg too often.

At night, Azura and Corrin kept the egg between them. They would wake, sometimes, with their hands on top of its surface, and there would be warmth under their fingers.

* * *

Azura's eyes shot open. In the darkness, she could make out Corrin's sleeping face, covered by tousled hair.

"Wake up," she whispered, a hand on his shoulder. He obeyed drowsily, stretching his limbs.

The egg between them moved with a tapping noise.

"Oh!" Corrin gasped, instantly alert. "Oh, goodness - what do we need?"

"Baby blanket," Azura said, sitting up. He did the same, turning on the bedside lamp as he did so. She considered the egg between them for a moment. "Bowl of water."

"Warm water."

"Yes."

Corrin returned with the items a heartbeat later, panting with excitement as he watched the egg. About every minute or so, another tapping noise would make both of them gasp.

"...I can't see any cracks," Azura said.

He gently pushed the egg so that it rotated without moving from its place on the bed. Humming, he placed his finger on the shell. "There's one right here. You can just barely feel it."

She stroked the surface with her finger, expression pensive. A loud tap nearly made her jump.

"Baby says hi!" Corrin grinned.

Azura let out a breathless laugh. "Mama and Papa are here for you, baby."

"Mmhmm."

Tap, tap, tap. And then, a crack! The tiniest of dark claws touched the outside air and quickly drew back into the safety of the egg.

"Baby! Baby, you need to come out," Corrin said soothingly. Azura watched with wide eyes, completely silent.

It took about an hour of wrestling and rolling, but the top half of the egg separated from the bottom. Soon after, the eggshell membrane tore, revealing the little creature within. The hatchling was mostly head, with barely enough neck to hold itself up. Now that it was in the light and not obscured by thin membrane, it was clear that its body was a dark blue, even its flimsy wings. The draconic regalia - antlers, false jaw, and spine - were not yet present. It trembled and peeped, flailing with all the might it could muster.

"Oh, look at its little chest --"

"So small!"

Each breath seemed to move the hatchling's entire body. Suddenly winded, it lay half out of the shell, peeping. Azura scooped the hatchling carefully - it was the size of a newborn kitten, barely as big as her cupped hands. It snuggled into her warmth. Corrin delicately lifted the shell off its head.

"Is..." she felt like crying, though she wasn't sure what sort of emotion she was feeling. Relief? Wonder? Worry? "Is this our child?"

He touched the hatchling with his pinky. It mewed and swung its head towards the touch, bumping its flat nose against his finger. "At the very least, it's _my_ child," he said.

That calmed Azura somewhat. She could bear helping to raise Corrin's child, even if they never showed that she was their mother.

"Oh, little one, you are so tiny," he cooed, ghosting his fingers over its paws. "So, so small."

With a mighty _nef!_ the hatchling kicked off the bottom half of the shell. It flailed its hind legs in the air for a moment, then collapsed against Azura's palms, panting.

"So strong," she whispered. "Ah..."

"Hm?"

She felt like she was a failure for needing to ask this question, but... "Can you tell if it's a boy or a girl?"

"Hmmm! That's important, isn't it," he mused. He held his hands out. "May I?"

Azura gently poured the limp hatchling into his palms. It peeped softly as it plopped into its father's grasp.

"Let's see..." Corrin thumbed under the hatchling's tail until it uncurled enough for him to hold away from its body. "Push on the stomach a bit?"

She gave the hatchling's belly a nudge. A small black nub peeked out from under the hatchling's tail.

"A boy!" Corrin announced proudly. "Our son. What is his name?"

The hatchling peeped again, and Azura cupped her hands around Corrin's, so that their son could curl in their shared warmth. "Shigure...that will be his name."

* * *

Shigure was a hungry hatchling, and he hated the sling. He seemed to tolerate a basket filled with baby blankets enough to be quiet between feedings, though.

Azura felt strange, cupping a tiny creature to her breast, especially since he already had teeth. But, when he nursed and grew quiet, all of her worries melted away. This was a life. A new life. One she was caring for. One that had come after such fighting and suffering. He would live in a world with less of those things - she was not fool enough to believe that theirs would be the last war.

After all the frigidity of her childhood in Nohr and Hoshido, and the responsibilities she had thought would kill her...here she was, alive, with Corrin's child. The heir to the man and dragon she loved so much. Such love, such warmth she felt, from Corrin, from Shigure, from herself, from her family and the sun and the world and the stars and the ocean.

Shigure opened his eyes a few days later.

It was a total surprise - Azura had thought Shigure was like his father as a dragon, with a mask that obscured his facial features. It was something Shigure would have to grow into, apparently - the darkness of his face was skin, and eyelids that had been closed soon opened.

She brought him with her everywhere, not able to trust him with a servant who might think he was nothing more than a sophisticated magical creature. On this day, she was in her office looking through various accounts. The sound of him mewing and shifting around in his basket was a welcome sign for a break.

"Shh, little one, Mama's here," she cooed, shifting her chair over. He was pawing at his blanket as if trying to get out. "Oh -!"

His eyes were small and squinty, like he had just woken up and hadn't wanted to. Still, he peeped brightly when she scooped him up.

Azura wished she could say Shigure had his grandfather's eyes or his grandmother's eyes. She didn't remember either of them well enough to say so honestly, but he definitely had golden eyes, not red like his father's. They were too small to tell, but she thought she also saw slits for pupils. Not quite human, but human enough.

The golden color might not have been her mother's or her father's, but it was definitely hers, and Azura snuggled her son, gently kissing his round belly. "My little Shigure!"

He squeaked with happiness, gently pawing at her face.

* * *

Shigure grew strong and healthy. He pattered about, following his parents like a puppy, watching them as they worked. His wings were weak, but his legs were strong enough to support short bursts of speed, and Corrin bragged about how his son could knock him over with a running start.

On his second birthday, Lilith appeared to him and presented him with a dragonstone. The little boy that appeared after he took the stone made Azura's heart ache with the half-felt memory of a father, or maybe a grandfather, that had soft blue hair on top of his head in the same way that the boy wore it.

"Mama!" was his first word, and he stumbled over to her. He hadn't taken three steps before she scooped him up in her arms, laughing to the sky above.

* * *

Years passed. The peace between the nations grew stronger bit by bit.

Azura was content to spend the night reading, but Corrin was petting her with steady _intent_. She considered her duties for the following day and decided that most of them could still be done if she was sore or had difficulty walking. She leaned over to give his head a kiss. "What would you like tonight, my king?"

Corrin purr-growled, arching cat-like into her arms. He breathed her scent for a moment, roaming his hands lower when he felt no resistance. "I wish to give you another child, my queen," he said.

There were many things he could have said, but it was this that made her flush and tuck her chin. It was...not a bad idea. Shigure was doing well, and she knew Corrin would want more than one child. She was ready for another, as well, but they hadn't exactly spoken about it before then. And yet, here he was, using that as a way of propositioning her.

Corrin noticed her hesitation and pushed himself up, giving her some space. "Ah, would you prefer something else?"

She swallowed, hands over her cheeks. She wanted to do things with him tonight, but... "We'll talk it over in the morning?"

He nodded, giving her a smile. With that reassurance, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and focused on the heat moving through her body. When she opened her eyes, she was able to lean into him with confidence. "Are you willing to do everything necessary?" she asked, voice low.

His eyes widened with feral interest. "Yes, my queen!" he answered, teeth beginning to show behind his smile.

"Will you mate with me until your seed is planted?" she continued, curling a finger under his chin. He blinked slowly, purring as he pushed her down onto the mattress.

"Of course, my queen," he said, helping her out of her smallclothes. His tail wagged in steady arcs behind him.

Azura pawed at his lower belly with her foot, smiling when his purr deepened. "Will you tend to your queen's every whim and desire while she grows gravid?"

Corrin pulled himself free of his trousers. "With pleasure."

"And..." she cupped his cheek, bringing him close to her. He stilled, wings fluttering with a patient curiosity. "Will you love and care for your growing family?" she asked in a hushed voice.

He pressed a gentle kiss to her temple, lingering there so she could feel how he felt. "I love you," he murmured. "And I love Shigure. And now, I want to make love with you...a new love. A new life."

"Please do, my king."


End file.
